Portugal and the Basque Country – Part 1

Another great trip wrapped up, this time headed Southwest. This trip focused on a new area for me (Basque country) and a return to a country that I visited 13 years ago, Portugal. Both distinctly different countries but each having their own charm. Here is a map of the route that I took. It ended up being 4,334 km (2,693 miles), almost completely on backroads as the toll roads were very expensive and you just don’t get to see much when the world is going by at 120 km per hour.

Here is the out and back route that I took for Basque country and Portugal.

I started off visiting the French part of Basque country (Pays Basque) but do to a lot of rain, I decided to move on and visit it another time. I then ventured on into northwest Spain with my first stop being San Sebastian. Having heard a lot of this town, I ended up staying two nights and it met all my expectations. A great city that I would like to return to. Tapas, seashore, mountains, and nice people.

A panorama of San Sebastian from Playa De La Concha

Following a couple of days there, I ventured further west stopping of at Bilbao. I was not expecting to like Bilboa much since I’m not a fan of going into big cities (especially with the VW camper), however this city had a charm and would warrant a return in the future. Top of the list for me to see was the amazing Gugenheim museum. It was fun just walking around the exterior and checking out all the angles.

The curves of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao.

Another must see in Bilbao is the Puente Colgante (literally “hanging bridge”). It was fun to just sit and watch is it made it’s way across the river with only six cars at a time.

The Vizcaya Bridge, also known as the Puente Colgante (literally “hanging bridge”)

The last thing that I saw in Bilbao was a good surprise. I noticed that there were police everywhere, covering every intersection on a route through the city. When it was time to leave, to my surprise, I found out it was the King of Spain, King Felipe VI!

The King of Spain, King Felipe VI, making a visit to Bilbao.

Well, having had my fill of cities, it was time to head to the mountains and I wasn’t disappointed. The Picos de Europa mountains are beautiful, reminding me a bit of the Dolomites in Italy. I spent a couple of days hiking here with a vow to return again. This was actually my favorite part of the trip and was extremely beautiful.

The Naranjo de Bulnes is probably the best known mountaineering peak in Spain.

The morning view from my camper door of the Picos De Europa mountains.

A snowy hike above the Fuente De Cable Car.

That wraps up Part 1 in the Basque Country of Northwest Spain. In Part 2, I’ll take you down to the beautiful country of Portugal. Cheers!

Oh, what a beautiful area. Yes, especially the mountains, the colors, the seaside, etc. Enjoyed it all. Your trips around here and there sound interesting and facinating. Susan and Dan are going to Portugal later this year so have forwarded this onward. Thanks, I really enjoy seeing so many parts of Europe through your lens.

I got the link of your trip via our daughter Sanne who runs on The Hague Hash House Harriers, what we used to do as well.
We are going to Portugal this year with our camper and your trip covers most of what we wanted to do. So this is very useful information. I noticed that you drove up Portugal, our plan is to continue along the Spanish coast. I have a brother living in the border area between France and Spain on the east side.
Anyway if you have some tips that would be nice.
Kind regards,
Peter Duijndam